Two black fell pony colts grooming each other.

Fell ponies

Fell ponies are native to Cumbria in the Northwest of England. They were bred for their strength to climb steep slopes and scale rocky terrains whilst hauling heavy machinery and goods. Their thick coats and manes help to protect them from strong winds and cold weather.  

Back to conservation grazing home

They are often dark brown or black in colour but rarely they can be grey; our mare is an example of a grey fell pony.  

Fell ponies are now valued as conservation grazers. They are skilled at controlling hardy plants such as thistle. They are also good for trampling competitive plants like bracken and can create patches of bare ground for wildflowers to seed.  

Find out more about our conservation grazers

Face shot of a hebridean sheep with horns

Hebridean sheep

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An all-black compact mountain sheep with a taste for bramble and young scrub.

Exmoor ponies

Exmoor ponies

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Find out about Exmoor ponies and why we use them in conservation.

Konik ponies

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Konik ponies are one of the largest of the ‘pony’ breeds, often the size of a horse. 'Konik' literally means small horse. They are domestic ponies, bred over 100 years to live in the wild for conservation purposes.